You're Happening To Me
by nebakanezer
Summary: Roughly 8 months before the Reaping Gale is injured in a fight and Katniss asks Madge to hide him until things blow over.
1. Chapter 1

AN: I've read some truly wonderful Gadge stories on ff that have made me fall completely in love with this pairing and I've even been inspired to try my hand at writing them.

This is not a songfic but the title is a Schuyler Fisk's song.

This takes place before the Reaping.

I don't own The Hunger Games, I'm just giving the characters a little bit of much needed fluff :)

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><p>The sounds of the piano floated airily throughout the house as Mrs. Undersee reclined on the chaise under a thick wooly blanket with her eyes closed.<p>

Madge loved being able to play music to soothe her mother and it had been awhile since she had played for her seeing as her mother had not left the confines of her room in the past few weeks.

"Maggie darling."

Madge turned on the piano bench and saw her mother's lids slowly lift to reveal her tired blue eyes.

"Yes, Mamma. Are you ready to go upstairs now?"

"Yes, thank you sweety. That was very lovely playing tonight."

Madge rushed to her mother's side and wrapping an arm around her frail waist helped her up the stairs one at a time. "Thank you, Mamma."

"Are you still practicing every day?" she asked beaming with obvious pride.

"Yes, Mamma. I practice whenever I can."

'That's very good dear, one day, one day you will play for all of Panem. I know it."

"Yes, Mamma," was all she could manage to say. She didn't think that would ever happen but she wasn't about to argue with her mother when she could see that it made her perk up to imagine.

She helped her out of her robe and then settled her into her bed before going to the kitchen to fetch her a glass of water.

With her father away on Capital business for another week, caring for her ailing mother fell solely on Madge's shoulders. It gave her a purpose that she didn't otherwise experience when her father was home. She still cared for her mother daily but her father dictated all her tasks even after all these years. She knew her mother's routines but didn't resent her father overseeing her care because she suspected it helped him feel like he was somehow participating even though his mayoral duties pretty much ate up all his time.

Madge closed the window above the sink to keep the fall chill out so the kitchen wouldn't be freezing come morning. She had persuaded her father to let their staff have the week off while he was away. He had finally relented to the unusual request because as he had said, Madge had made her case so convincingly. She smiled at the thought of them being able to spend time with their families.

While filling the glass with water a loud knock on the backdoor made her jump and spill water all over her hand, the counter and the floor.

It was dark outside and much too late for house guests. The only people that used the back door besides the people that worked in the house and those that brought deliveries were Katniss and Gale, but she suspected it was much too late for a visit from them.

She dried her hand and went to the door tentatively. To her surprise she saw Katniss and Gale standing at the foot of the stairs. She looked down at their hands first but saw that they didn't have anything to sell.

From the small amount of light pouring out of the kitchen she could see Gale had an arm around Katniss' shoulder and was leaning into her. There was worry on Katniss' face but it wasn't until she looked at Gale that she made a sound unrecognizable to even herself and covered her mouth with her hands.

Gale's right eye was bruised and swollen shut. He had a large cut above his other eye and blood trickled from his nose and his mouth.

"Oh!" was all Madge could manage.

"Madge. We need your help. Can we come in?" Katniss pleaded.

It took a minute for Madge to react and then step aside making room for them to enter the house.

"I need you to keep Gale here for a few days. Your dad is out of town, right?" Katniss said in a rush.

"Yes, b... but I can't. My mother. Katniss I can't." She was desperately trying to think of why this was the worst idea she had ever heard in her whole life.

"Madge, you must. Please!" she implored as she leaned against the counter to take some of Gale's weight off her.

"Why don't you take him to your mother? She can take better care of him better than I can."

"That's the first place they'll look. Please Madge."

Madge considered Katniss to be her friend, though they had never shared their innermost secrets or asked each other for favors. No one had ever asked anything of Madge and the idea of being needed made her feel important for the first time.

There was a certain amount of importance in being the Mayor's only daughter, or so everyone always said, but that hadn't brought her anything but isolation and loneliness. She had often wished that she had more of a purpose in District Twelve, that she had a skill that she could use to help people.

It seemed that being the last place Peacekeepers would look for a poacher who'd overstepped his bounds was the most useful she could hope to be right now.

"Okay, follow me." She looked at Gale who had still not spoken and took the backstairs from the kitchen to the second floor so they would not have to pass her parent's bedroom to get to their destination.

There wasn't room for three to climb the stairs side by side so she didn't offer to aid them and instead went ahead as Katniss helped Gale up the steps.

They were slow getting to the second floor so she had time to lay a blanket down over her pink comforter and then help Katniss maneuver him onto her bed.

She hadn't really thought through putting Gale in her room. It had been the first place that had come to mind but with her father away she realized she should have put him in his study. It was too late to move him now though as he groaned and settled into the bed.

Katniss took Madge's arm and held on tight.

"Take care of him. I have to go in case they come looking for him. I don't want them to ask my mother or Prim too many questions."

"But... what am I supposed to do?" she said pleadingly. Taking care of her ailing mother was not the same as patching someone up who had been in a fist fight.

"Just wash his face and put some of this on it. It should prevent infection. Also cold clothes or ice if you have some on his eye to take the swelling down." Katniss produced a small jar from her coat pocket and placed it in Madge's palm wrapping her fingers around it as if she was bequeathing her the most valuable thing she owned.

"I'll be back when I can," she assured.

Then she turned and disappeared around the corner and down the stairs leaving Madge in shock.

By the time Madge regained her senses she rushed to catch up to Katniss but she was long gone. Madge locked the backdoor and then remembering her mother's water she wiped the spilled water off the counter and the floor and then dried off the side of the glass. She took another one out of the cupboard and filled them both.

She placed one on a table outside her room and walked on quietly to the other end of the floor. She opened her mother's door and to her relief found her asleep. She placed the glass next to the bed and tucking the covers around her, kissed her forehead.

"Good night, Mamma. Sweet dreams," she whispered.

She turned the hall lights out and once in her room she closed the door and leaned against it wondering what she had gotten herself into.

A boy had never been in her room let alone on her bed, but since the boy in question appeared unconscious it didn't seem quite so sordid as she would have expected.

She gathered her plush pink flannel pajamas from a drawer and changed in her dark closet. Once she had on matching wool socks she went into her private bathroom to brush her teeth and find a washcloth. Realizing she needed a bowl if she didn't want to make trips back to the sink she ran back down to the kitchen to get a metal one from the back of a low cupboard that no one would ever miss.

She sat on the edge of the bed her hip barely touching Gale's thigh and got to work gently washing away the dried blood and dirt that was on his face.

He moaned as she worked but didn't wake up.

She dabbed the ointment on his open sores with her finger tips and then folded a clean wet cloth around a few cubes of ice and placed it over his eye.

From what she could see of his features not obstructed by the pouch of ice, he seemed to be resting peacefully. She'd always thought he was handsome but she had never been so close to him before and had never had freedom to opening study every detail of his face. His eyelashes on his good eye were surprisingly long. She remembered years ago when her mother had cared about such things, that she had ordered makeup from the Capitol hoping to make her own lashes look so full and lush. Despite the bruising his tanned skin looked smooth and his well defined jaw appeared recently shaven. She ran her hand over his forehead, drawing his hair off his face. It was softer than she had expected it to be considering how unruly it always was.

She sat next to him for awhile holding the ice in place. When it started to melt she let the pieces roll into the bowl and wringing out the cloth she folded it up and placed in back over his eye.

She unlaced Gale's boots and sat them quietly at the foot of the bed. She contemplated removing his pants and his shirt since they were covered in dirt but decided to leave him be to sleep in them. She went to the hall closet for spare blankets, towels and more washclothes for the morning.

After covering him with one of the blankets she crossed the room to turn on a night light that she hadn't used in years but that was still plugged into the spot her father had put it when he had brought it home from a trip, in case Gale woke up in the middle of the night.

She turned off the lights and settled into the comfortable armchair in the corner of the room where she had fallen asleep many times before while reading. She covered herself with the other spare blanket and fell asleep.

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><p>tbc<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Madge awoke to the early morning sun chasing the shadows out of the corners of her room.

She took a fresh cloth from the bureau where she had placed them the night before and rinsed in under the cold water. She folded it neatly and placed it gently on Gale's still swollen eye, the other cloth having fallen off sometime in the night. Before she had a chance to pull her hand away she felt his fingers wrap around her wrist tightly.

His good eye opened and she could tell he was trying to focus on her face and figure out who she was.

"Madge Undersee?" he managed in a hoarse whisper. 'What are you doing here?"

"I live here," she replied before realizing he probably had no idea where he was seeing as she hadn't seen him open his eyes once the night before. "You're in my house," she amended.

He continued to stare at her obviously bewildered by what she had said. He slowly turned his head to study his surrounds while keeping a grasp of her wrist.

He looked back at her questioningly. She figured he deserved an explanation instead of berating him for his rudeness. She looked down at his hand holding her and raised her eyebrows. He followed her gaze and immediately let her go.

Not entirely sure where to sit, she opted for the chair she had slept in sitting upright on the cushion's edge. "Katniss brought you here last night, do you remember coming here?"

He nodded his head indicating that he didn't all the while watching her closely with his good eye.

"Do you remember the fight before that?" She knew it wasn't any of her business but she did feel that his presence at least entirely her to ask.

He closed his eye and was quiet for so long that she thought he was going to ignore her question completely.

"Peacekeepers and I don't usually get along. Nothing new there."

"If they hit you without cause, we could tell my father when he gets back. They can't treat people like that." She knew she sounded childish wanting to involve her father but she really did believe that there was a code of honor that the Capitol Peacekeepers were supposed to follow. She knew they didn't but that didn't mean she had to like it.

Gale laughed but there wasn't a trace of humor on his face or in the sound. "Are you really that naive Madge? There is no justice for people like me. Maybe if I were from Town, but..." He left his thought unfinished, his eyes still closed.

Madge's cheeks burned at his words. She wanted to yell at him that she wasn't naive, that there was right and wrong but she knew it would be a losing battle with Gale and she just wasn't up for the fight.

Quietly he added, "And anyway hunting to feed my family puts me squarely in the wrong, I knew that when I crossed the fence for the first time. I knew it yesterday."

"They hit you because they found you hunting?" she asked.

"Something like that." Was all he said.

His evasive answers were starting to grate on her nerves.

"Well, I have to go see to my mother. I'll bring you something to eat in a bit.

"Nah, I gotta go, I can't stay here. Not in the Mayor's house. This is the last place I should be."

She approached the bed. "You can't! You are in no condition to go anywhere and besides Katniss told me to keep you here. You have to stay until she comes to get you." Surprising herself with the urgency of her plea.

"He finally opened his eyes and looked at her. "You always do what Katniss says?" he said with a smirk again devoid of humor.

"Don't you?" she retorted and turned to leave.

She heard his soft laughter as she closed her door and headed downstairs to fix breakfast.

She prepared oatmeal, divided it into three bowls and added the last of the fresh berries and then poured honey over the top. She brewed fresh chamomile tea for her mother and arranged a tray to take to her.

She climbed the central staircase and entered her parent's dark room. She set the tray down and opened the curtains to the early morning sun but she saw the approaching rain clouds in the distance. Her mother stirred and woke slowly.

Madge went to get her mother's pills out of the bathroom cabinet, counting out an extra four tablets to hide in the tiny pocket of her pajama shirt.

She helped her mother sit up and placed the tray on her lap. She asked if her mother wanted her to stay but she declined the offer. By her mother's mood she could tell this wasn't going to be a good day for her. She promised to return to help her dress but her mother refused telling her she was going to go back to sleep and was only eating so she could take her morphling.

Madge returned to the kitchen and prepped her second tray.

Gale hadn't moved and seemed to have fallen back asleep but when she entered the room his eyes opened and he followed her moments.

After dragging the desk chair over to the side of the bed she set the tray on it and asked if he wanted to sit up or if she should feed him. For the second time in her life Madge managed to illicit a genuine laugh out of Gale Hawthorne. Miracles were real it seemed.

She pursed her lips and stared at him unamused.

He had the decency to look contrite as he braced his hands on each side of the bed and pushed himself up. But instead of moving the only thing he did was let out a cry that could only be from excruciating pain.

Madge leaned closer. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

"I think I... have a broken rib.. or two.. or three." Presumably still experiencing shock waves of pain as he bit his bottom lip.

"What can I do?" she asked utterly helpless.

He reached his hands out to her and she took one in each of hers and pulled.

"Slowly Madge, slowly."

"Sorry." She pulled again but this time much slower.

She managed to get Gale to a sitting position and then he swung his legs over the edge so his feet were on the floor.

He wiggled his toes in the rug and asked where his boots were.

"I might have hidden them so you can't run off."

She was happy to see that her teasing elicited a small smile.

"I think I need to um..." His eyes darted to the open bathroom door and as her eyes followed the direction of his she said, "Oh. Do you um... need... help?"

An eyebrow disappeared under his hair as he looked at her like she was daft.

"Don't look at me like that. You couldn't get out of bed without me." She put her hands on her hips and gave him her best practiced Undersee glare. She'd never had cause to use it on anyone before but she had watched her mother use that disapproving stare, mostly with the people who worked in the Mayor's house, many times in her youth and had amused herself by spending hours in front her mirror perfecting it.

"You do have a point but I think I can manage this myself." He took very small steps to get across the room.

"Wait, here is a towel, if you... um want to.. you know... shower?" She grabbed for the towel on her bureau and stepping towards him held it out. She didn't have a good hold of it and it all went tumbling to the floor except the corner that her hand was still grasping.

"Well, then I think I am going to need some help after all."

Madge's mouth fell open in shock.

He reached out and placing a finger under her chin, gently pushing until she closed her mouth as he laughed what was now becoming a wonderfully common sound filling her room.

"With my shirt Madge, just my shirt."

"Oh. All right." She attempted to sound calm and collected but helping him take off his shirt wasn't all that different from helping him into the shower, well it was but both involved a bare chest and at that thought she felt her cheeks burning and wished the window was open to let in a breeze.

Gale just stood where he was watching her intently. She gathered up the towel and put it in a pile on the bed and then approached him. She avoided his eyes and instead stared at the front of his shirt. She wasn't so sure he couldn't undo the buttons himself but seeing as she had never had any broken ribs she wasn't going to mention it.

She tried very hard to keep her hands steady as she unbuttoned his shirt. She didn't know if she felt overheated because of her glowing cheeks or if it was radiating off of Gale. Either way she wasn't going to look at him for fear of a snarky comment mortifying her further.

She pulled his shirt down his arms and let it fall to the floor inside out. Next was his tshirt. It was tight enough to show the outline of his well defined muscles and her breath caught in her throat as her eyes traveled over his thinly veiled chest. She reached for the hem and trying to not touch his skin she lifted it very slowly.

He raised his arms but as soon as she revealed his stomach and the huge black and blue bruise spreading over his ribs she gasped and held her hands over the discolored skin.

"Oh no, Gale. It looks so terrible."

"You said my name," he whispered.

"What?" she asked with confusion. She was talking about his injuries. She didn't know what was he talking about.

"That's the first time you've used my name," he clarified.

"No, it's not." She looked at his face forgetting that she hadn't planned to let him see her burning cheeks.

"I'm pretty sure it is," he said with a smile.

"How can you be smiling at a time like this? Do you see this?" she scolded pointing at his bruises terrified that he might fall down dead on her floor at any minute.

"Not only do I see it, I feel it."

If he wasn't going to take his injuries seriously then she figured she shouldn't either. She resumed her task again being careful to avoid touching him directly. Once the shirt was over his shoulders she could no longer reach high enough and she was sure he couldn't bend down to her. With his face hidden behind the she stepped away from him and told him to stay put.

"I can't exactly see to go anywhere."

She heard the laughter in his voice and suppressed a giggle as she moved the tray of food off the chair and placed it on the floor and pulled the chair in front of him and climbed onto it. Once she was standing over him she was able to pull the shirt over his head completely. Looking down on his tussled hair she had an insane urge to run her fingers though it.

He reached out a hand to her and she took it and climbed off the chair. She looked down at his pants and then back up at him still blushing.

"I think I've got it from here," he informed her.

"I'll go get you something of my father's to wear."

"I'm not wearing the Mayor's clothes!" he said with a look of horror on his face.

"It's either that or my pink bathrobe. Your choice. Unless of course you-"

"Okay, okay fine." He turned and shuffled his feet until he reached the bathroom.

She was so relieved that he was finally behind the closed door but she still couldn't get away from the memory of being so close to Gale Hawthorne. She had never been so unnerved in her whole life. Liking him from afar had been so much easier and so much less embarrassing.

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><p>tbc<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

a/n: I was trying to post every weekend but a hurricane and a broken foot waylaid me this time. I guess I'll have plenty of time on my hands now to finish this and work on the other fics I have in my head provided the vicodin doesn't keep putting me to sleep. :) Thanks for the lovely comments.

previously:

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><p><em>"I'll go get you something of my father's to wear."<em>

_"I'm not wearing the Mayor's clothes!" he said with a look of horror on his face._

_"It's either that or my pink bathrobe. Your choice. Unless of course you-"_

_"Okay, okay fine." He turned and shuffled his feet until he reached the bathroom._

_She was so relieved that he was finally behind the closed door but she still couldn't get away from the memory of being so close to Gale Hawthorne. She had never been so unnerved in her whole life. Liking him from afar had been so much easier and so much less embarrassing._

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><p>Madge made sure her mother was still sleeping and pulled the curtains closed again, then quietly tiptoed over to her father's dresser and opened the middle drawer pulling out a pair of striped pajamas from the very bottom of a pile thinking she could wash them and put them back before he even knew they were missing.<p>

Once back in her room, she gathered up Gale's clothes and piled them by the door and then curled up in her chair to eat her now cooled oatmeal, noting that with the honey and fruit it was still quite tasty.

She heard the bathroom door open and then, "Could you hand me the towel?"

She stood and closing her eyes tightly she reached around the door and left her hand there until he took the towel and then she returned to her chair.

The next thing she knew she was staring at a tall, bare chested, wet haired Gale in the middle of her room with a towel slung low around his hips.

She almost tripped over her feet trying to get out of the chair and reach the clothes that were folded on the bed.

"Here," she said as she held them to him trying not to stare at beads of water that rolled over his shoulders and continued on a trail down his stomach to be soaked up by the top edge of the towel.

He looked at the clothes skeptically and then at her but said nothing as he took them and returned to the bathroom. She knew light green and yellow were not his colors but they were an older pair and wouldn't be as large on him as one of her father's newer ones. She opened her own closet and took the pink belt off of her bathrobe that was hanging on a hook in the back. Her mother always made her wear it but she actually didn't like it, it was bulky and scratchy.

Gale came back out a minute later wearing the pants and holding the waistband cinched in one hand as he held the shirt out to her. "This doesn't fit," he said.

She eyed the shirt doubtfully but looking down at his exposed calves she traded the belt for the shirt. But then she realized he couldn't wrap the material around himself and still hold up the pants so she kept a hold of the belt, throwing the shirt on her bed and then walked up to him to do it herself. She had to get very close to him to be able to wrap both her arms around him to hand one end off to her other hand. She turned her face in an attempt not to touch him but only ended up pressing her whole cheek into his chest when he stepped forward, perhaps losing his balance, perhaps not.

She knotted the belt and stepped back to inspect her handiwork. She couldn't help but smile at how ridiculous he looked in pants that were both much too large and much to short and a bright pink belt.

"If you've had enough amusement at my expense maybe you could help me back into bed huh?" His smile belied any irritation that his words might have been trying to convey.

"Dashing, Mr. Hawthorne, truly," she said with a grin as she stepped aside and took his arm to help him. She piled all her pillows against the headboard and settled him into a sitting position while he groaned and grunted in pain. She then lifted the sheet and blanket over his legs and up to his waist. His purple and blue ribcage still very bare.

"Shall I go get someone? she asked with worry as she sat down next to him to begin reapplying the ointment.

"No!" He cringed as she worked.

"Sorry, I have to," she said sincerely.

When she was done she realized she could help him. "Oh wait, I have something for you." She reached into her pocket with her free hand and pulled out the pills she had pilfered from her mother, placing one on the nightstand and walked across the room to put the others on the bureau out of his reach. "But you need to eat first."

"Aren't you going to offer to feed me?" he asked with a smirk as he took the bowl she presented to him.

"No, I think you can do it on your own. But I'll sit here and watch you just to be sure." She sat in the chair and looking out at the darkening sky said absently, "Looks like rain."

He ate and the only sound in the room was the clinking of the spoon on the bowl. Once he was done, she took the bowl and handed him the tablet and the full water glass from the night stand.

"What's your name," he asked after he swallowed down the medicine and the whole glass of water as if he had been pondering the question for quite some time.

She looked at him horrified that he didn't know her name and then confused because she could have sworn he's called her by name.

"I mean your full name, Madge."

Her face relaxed as she sat back down and replied, "Margaret." She turned back to the window. "My mother calls me Maggie. My father called me Madgy May when I was little and Madge just sort of stuck and now everyone calls me that."

"Do you like it?"

"Hmm? Oh I don't know, I never thought about it really, I guess. It's more uncommon than Margaret anyway. There are three other Margaret's in school so the teachers need to use the initials of their last names when they call on them." She blushed when she realized she'd been rambling. "So I guess I like it," she added somewhat lamely and then in an effort to draw the attention away from her she asked, "What about you, do you have a nickname?"

Gale gave her the sideways smirk she was becoming accustomed to. "And how would you shorted Gale?

She pondered that for a few minutes looking at him and then said triumphantly, "Oh well I might call you Thorn or Thorny." Then added, "Yes Thorny would suit you quite well I think."

He laughed. "You are a clever one Madgy May, very clever." He closed his eyes and she could tell the morphling was about to overtake him so she said his name and then approaching the bed, held out her hands to him so she could pull him to a sitting position.

Once he was laying down she pulled the bed sheets up to his neck like she always did for her mother but refrained from kissing his forehead no matter how badly she wanted to.

He grinned his thanks and closed his eyes again while her heart beat double time in reaction to that dazzling smile. She watched him for a long time, memorizing every line and scar of his face, the shape of his lips and the length of his hair. His eyes fluttered as if he were dreaming and he turned his face into her pillow and moaned softly. His movement startled her out of her reverie and blushing as if she'd been caught she turned away from him to collect all his dirty clothes, the towels and their dishes and headed down to the kitchen.

She put everything in the washing machine, a rarely for District Twelve but something she none the less knew how to use. After school she would sit in the kitchen for hours watching, Thalia, their housekeeper do chores and prepare dinner. She was thankful that Thalia never questioned her choice to spend her afternoons in her company compared to her parents who would cluelessly comment that she should be out with her friends enjoying the warm summer days. Madge was pretty sure Thalia knew she didn't have anyone to spend time with and enjoyed her help as she patiently taught her to cook, preserve fruits and do the washing.

After rinsing the bowls and spoons she wandered into her father's study. She liked to visit with him in the evenings after dinner and just sit on the leather couch reading while he worked. They often settled into a comfortable silence enjoying just spending time in each others company. It was a peacefulness she rarely felt anywhere else. Usually she found that silence felt stifling and awkward. She realized she missed her father but then reminded herself that she would never have been able to hide Gale in her room if he were home, he was far too observant for that. Thinking about him returning made her frown because it would mean that Gale would be gone and she was enjoying his companionship far more then she had anticipated. She sat for a few more minutes on her father's couch and then decided to go into the adjoining library and find a book to read.

It was a little known fact that the Mayor collected rare antique books and that quite a few of them were on the list of the Capitol's banned books. That tiny defiant streak had been passed down to his daughter and Madge took great joy in reading everything she could get her hands on but especially the banned books. She wondered if it was wise to bring one up to her room but then decided that she didn't need to hide a banned book from someone like Gale Hawthorne, one of District Twelve's infamous poachers. She pulled an old dark blue book off a shelf. The pages were edged in gold and the title on the cover had long since faded but the indented words were still visible, _Pride and Prejudice_. She flipped threw the pages and though she didn't recognize the author the title intrigued her. She climbed the stairs to check on her mother again before returning to her room.

She settled into her chair by the window and found herself staring at Gale's sleeping form with her book unopened in her lap. The blanket had slipped off to the side and left his chest bare yet again and she couldn't make herself look away. Even in sleep he looked strong, confident and distractedly handsome. The swelling on his right eye was lessoning even though the colors still marred his skin.

She wanted so badly to run her fingers through his clean hair. Never had she had an urge to touch a boy before and yet she had already lost track of the amount of times today her hands itched to caress him. She wondered what it was about Gale Hawthorne that made her knees quiver when he smiled or laughed at her. Maybe that he was from the Seam, that he was totally inappropriate for her or that her mother would faint if she knew he was under her roof. No matter how much she knew they were a completely miss matched pair, she couldn't help but feel drawn to him. It might have been the state he was in but he wasn't turning out to be anything like she had expected. Realizing that she had made assumptions about his character made her wonder what he had thought of her before this morning. He wasn't intimidating and serious, he actually made her smile more than anyone else she knew, granted she didn't claim to know that many people, but still.

She wasn't sure what longing looked like but she did know what it felt like to be looked at by him and she knew how she felt about him. He made her feel important and needed and that in turn made her feel special. If he had not gotten in a fight with Peacekeepers there was a good change he might have lived his whole life having never needed her. It seemed wrong to be thankful that he had been beaten up but she couldn't deny the gratefulness that she felt for this opportunity to get to know Gale Hawthorne.

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><p>tbc<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry it's taken so long to update :)

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><p>Madge shifted in her chair and rubbed the crick developing in her neck under the collar of her shirt. She has always enjoyed short naps in her favorite chair but after having spent the whole night in an awkward sitting position with her legs draped over the arm rest this nap was just about as much as her body could tolerate. She was going to have to drag some couch cushions in from the music room and sleep on the floor tonight. It wasn't lost on her that she wasn't entertaining the idea of sleeping in a guest room so she smiled at her thoughts.<p>

She sat up straight and raised her arms over her head to stretch the kinks out of her back. Looking in Gale's direction she was started to see gray eyes piercing her intently and a smirk on his lips. She quickly lowered her arms knowing that her shirt had just ridden up and exposed her stomach to his watching eyes.

She couldn't help the blush that crept up her neck and over her cheeks.

"What?" she asked when he continued to watch her.

He shrugged his shoulders and his smile exposed his teeth. "Did you know that you drool when you sleep?"

"I do not!" she protested.

He didn't argue with her but his stare unnerved her as much as arguing would have.

"Stop. Stop staring at me."

Still in a sitting position she bent at the waist to pick up her blanket that had fallen to the floor while she had slept and realized her shirt had risen up her back this time. She stood and pulled the offending material down hard as if that would keep it in place. "Ahhhh." She eyed him and pointed a finger in his direction. "Don't you dare laugh at me."

"Wouldn't dream of it." When he turned his face away from her she would have bet anything she had that was exactly what he was doing.

She stomped over to her closet and swung the door open hard but caught it before it hit the wall. She had learned years ago to not slam doors for fear of being responsible for bringing on one of her mother's headaches and the hours of silence she would have to endure as a result.

She pulled out a pair of blue pants, a white blouse and a fuzzy blue sweater and then went to dress in the bathroom. Now that he was awake getting dressed in her closet seemed improper. Of course wearing her pajamas in front of a boy and for half the day were also unforgivable offenses in the Undersee household.

She came out feeling much more put together, her hair tied back in a blue ribbon and no chances for embarrassing clothing mishaps.

"Are you hungry?" she asked as she folded her pajamas and put them in her closet.

"A little, what's on the menu," he asked as he blatantly studied her attire from head to feet.

She wasn't sure how he was able to make her blush with one look but once again he was doing just that.

She was preparing to list off what she remembered seeing when she'd made breakfast but was piqued enough by how easily he effected her that instead she said, "This isn't a restaurant Gale." And stalked out of the room.

Once downstairs she immediately regretted her harsh tone knowing it wasn't his fault her cheeks glowed red every time he looked at her. Well, technically it was but she still felt bad about lashing out.

She scoured the kitchen for leftovers that Thalia had prepared and left her for the week and found roasted venison, potatoes and grilled vegetables labeled and ready for her to heat up.

She divided everything into 3 dishes and took her mother's portion to her room. Her mother was awake but unwilling to get out of bed so Madge set the tray on her lap and again offered to stay with her. Her mother's mood had not improved over the coarse of the day and she again sent her daughter away.

Madge couldn't really feel bad that her mother wanted to eat alone, it gave her more time to spend with Gale. The realization that she was becoming desperate to spend every minute in his company made her heart skip a beat but also made her anxious. What would happen when he was better and Katniss came to get her hunting partner? Would he walk out of her house and her life and never look back? Would they stay friends? The questions and the worry about the uncertainty of the answers made her head hurt.

She climbed the stairs burdened by her thoughts. Gale appeared to have fallen back to sleep in her absence so she sat in her chair with her plate on her lap and nibbled at the food too consumed with her concerns to taste it.

She kept an eye on him and sure enough his eyes opened and he watched her with the intensity that was becoming familiar and not as unsettling as it had been only hours before.

"Can we start over?" he said with a concerned smile.

She smiled back and stood. Holding her hands out to him, he took them and let her pull him to a sitting position. He groaned less than he had that morning so it seemed he was in a little less pain or perhaps she was just getting better and helping him maneuver.

"I'm sorry," she told him as she set the tray on his lap.

"Madgy May you have nothing to be sorry for, I was an ass and after all you have done for me I shouldn't have been so flippant..." his words faded as he tasted the food and though it was now cold, by his reaction she could tell that it might just be one of the best things he'd ever eaten. "This is... good... really good."

They ate in silence and even though she was happy that he was enjoying the dinner, the mood seemed to have changed between them and she wasn't sure why. She needed to stop thinking about the day he would leave her and just enjoy the minutes they had together.

"Are you feeling better?"

He held his fork in midair and answered her. "I think so. There is still quite a bit of pain but I think I'll survive."

What she was really asking was how much longer he was going to be in her house and in her bed but she couldn't bring herself to utter the words out loud.

"Do you want more morphling?"

"Nah, let's see how I do without it. It knocks me out and I'd rather not sleep just yet." Then he looked at her and added, "Thank you Madge." He scraped the last of the potatoes onto his fork and she heard a sound of contentment from deep in his throat.

She handed her plate to him when he was finished with his. He looked at her questioningly but smiled as he took it and cleaned it off in no time.

She stopped at her mother's room to pick up her dishes and help her change into a clean dressing gown promising to return with a cup of tea.

After delivering her mother's tea, Madge collected a basket from the library and brought it up to her room determined to get herself out of her morose mood,

"Are you up for a card game?" she asked as Gale was maneuvering himself out of the bed.

He pointed to the bathroom and shook his head.

She pulled the desk chair next to the bed and was standing behind it waiting to help him back into bed.

She sat on the chair and pulled out the cards getting ready to shuffle the deck. "Come sit here." He gestured to the side of the bed.

"Oh I'm fine here."

"Nonsense. I can't stand to see you sitting in chairs while I comfortably lounge in your bed."

"But you're injured."

"And your neck and back don't hurt from sleeping in that damn chair?"

She said nothing as she continued to shuffle.

"There is plenty of room. This bed is big enough for me and all my siblings, surely there is room for the two of us."

"It wouldn't be appropriate," she said as she distracted herself with the cards in her hands.

"I'm in your bed, don't you think we left inappropriate behind a long time ago?"

And once again his words were making her blush.

"I swear to never tell a soul Madgy May." His blinding smile was no match for her propriety so she walked around the bed and sat on top of the covers making sure she wasn't actually touching him. He was right, there was room for both of them. She patted the blanket to make a flat spot for the cards and then realizing that her hand was on his lap she drew it away as if she'd been burned. She expected a sly comment but Gale remained surprisingly silent.

"Queen's Wild?" she suggested.

He agreed and she dealt out the cards. It turned out he was a very good card player and every time she thought she'd take a point he would steal it from her with a better card.

"Are you cheating?" she finally asked trying not to let her frustration get the best of her. "That's the forth time you've beaten me."

"Oooh, I didn't know you were so competitive." He reached for her discarded hand and shuffled. "Let me show you how to win."

He then explained his strategy and with a little more practice, Madge won three games in a row. "Are you just letting me win now?" she accused.

"Absolutely not. That's all you. You're a natural card shark you just needed some tips. Next thing you know you'll be at the Hob taking the Peacekeepers for all they're worth."

She beamed at the praise and the idea of beating veteran card players at their own game.

"You have such a beautiful smile," he said absently. His words taking her completely by surprise.

She said the first thing that came to her mind, "So do you." Then her blush warmed her skin when she realized what she had said.

They both stared at each other. She was transfixed by his gray eyes, watching them grow darker as they drifted to her mouth and back to her own eyes.

She was the first to look away. She gathered up the cards and without looking in his direction said, "You need sleep."

She grabbed her pajamas trying not to be obvious that she was running to the safety of the bathroom. Leaning against the closed door, she attempted to understand the effect he had on her and why it was so maddening. No one had ever made her feel so out of control of her reactions before but then she had never had a boy in her bed before either so there was a first time for everything.

After gathering her composure she returned to her room and made herself busy by moving the desk chair back to the other side of the room and then helped Gale lay back down. As she turned she felt his hand on her wrist.

'I'm not going to let you spend another uncomfortable night in that chair."

She stared at him trying to figure out his meaning. When his eyes darted to the bed her eyes grew wide.

"I can't," she protested.

He raised an eyebrow at her questioningly. "You know it's much more comfortable. Come on Undersee, break a rule for once."

She laughed uncomfortably. "I think I've already broken quite a few just having you here."

"And it feels damn good doesn't it? Defying authority? And yet you aren't hurting anyone." He was using his smirk to its full effect. "I won't touch you, I promise. I'll keep my hands completely to myself. Haven't I been a perfect gentleman since I've been here?"

She wanted to agree that he had but she also had proof that he wasn't so good at keeping his hands completely to himself. She looked at her hand in his and raised her eyebrows but he didn't let her go.

"Present situation not withstanding," he amended.

She reached for her blanket that she had folded and placed on her chair and when he let her hand go she turned out the lights and acquiesced without saying anything by simply walked around the bed and laying down next to him.

She rolled to her side and could just make out the outline of his features by the illumination of the nightlight. His high forehead covered by wisps of long hair, the strong line of his nose, his full lips and his chiseled chin that was now dotted with a day's growth. Her fingers itched to touch his skin so she folded them under her cheek and closed her eyes.

"Good night Madgy May."

"Good night Gale."

* * *

><p>tbc<p> 


End file.
